The Three Kingdoms began with island farming

Chapter 693 Father-Son Conflict
Peach Blossom Valley, Pingguo County, Liaodong.

The old locust tree at the village entrance, which requires three people to encircle, has sprouted new buds, and its tender green leaves rustle in the morning breeze.

Under the tree, by the stream, Old Wang was lying in a rocking chair, leisurely fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, watching the newly harvested rice being husked little by little by the water-driven mill, occasionally taking a sip of tea and eating some dates.

After the grain had been mostly processed, he piled it aside and then put in new grain.

Not far from the stone mill, there were rows of fishing nets hanging to dry, and rows of salted carp drying in the sun.

Old Wang watched this scene with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth.

This is the snack I'll have with my drinks tonight.

As the birthplace of the Great Qi dynasty, Liaodong has always been a symbol of prosperity and peace, just like the old locust tree at the entrance, which grows lush and verdant under the constant nourishment of the fields and rain.

When he fled from the Central Plains, he was all alone. Now, he has not only started a family and established a career, but his children have also married and had children.

Life is getting better every day; it's like paradise.

Just as Old Man Wang was enjoying himself, his son, Wang Dagou, came running over anxiously, carrying a hoe, his shoes still damp from the black soil.

"Dad, something terrible has happened! The county has posted a notice!"

Upon hearing this, Old Wang frowned and angrily retorted, "What are you shouting about? Isn't it normal for the government to post notices?"

"No, the government notice says that our Peach Blossom Valley is going to be included in the 'Returning Farmland to Forest' program, and our whole village will have to be relocated to Dayuan!"

Upon hearing this, Old Wang sat up abruptly: "Has our village been included as well?"

Although news of the imperial court's plan to relocate large numbers of villages had already spread throughout the land, many people still harbored wishful thinking.

Liaodong, in particular, was where Tian Ze made his fortune. Many people thought that even if they were to migrate, they would mostly be moved to the Central Plains. However, they never expected that they would be included in this migration.

It’s hard to leave your homeland.

No matter how good things are outside, it's not home!

Especially in today's agrarian society, everything depends on the weather.

The risks of relocation are too great. Moving to a new place means getting familiar with the land, farming seasons, and so on. It's not as simple as just moving to a different place to live.

Although Old Man Wang was generally accepting of the situation, he was still very upset to suddenly receive the news.

Wang Dagou looked as if he had lost his parents, and sighed deeply: "The village chief and Uncle Zhao have already started mobilizing people in the village. At the latest, the government's fleet will arrive in a month, and we will have to move out as a whole."

"So fast?" Old Wang frowned.

However, she then realized with a sigh, "That's true. The longer this kind of thing drags on, the more problems arise."

As people age, they become wise and experienced. Over the years, he has seen through too many things and has long since seen the coldness and warmth of people's hearts.

It seems that if things aren't pushed too hard, and the government backs down even slightly, the villagers will push back even further, and the disputes will only increase. It would be better to cut the Gordian knot quickly.

“Li Lao Er and Wu Lao San are arguing with the village chief right now. Nobody wants to move. Dad, should we go and try to persuade the village chief too?” Wang Da Gou asked.

Not to mention the ten acres of fertile land the family has recently acquired, there are also some vegetable plots that have not yet been harvested.

His second daughter was only six months old. Traveling far away at this time, if something happened, he might not be able to bear it. "I heard that Dayuan is a place inhabited by barbarians. It's poor, remote, and sparsely populated. Going there would be like asking for trouble."

Old Wang gently shook his head: "Don't talk nonsense. The common people won't fight against the officials. You've got some nerve!"

"Trust the government; they will handle it well. Besides, relocating the village and establishing a new settlement is a national policy approved by His Majesty; how can we disobey it!"

Although he was worried and very reluctant, Old Man Wang still spoke up.

"Dad, all you do is side with the government. Have you forgotten about our land before? Half of it was taken by the neighboring village, and in the end, the village chief only managed to get it back for us, without any compensation or explanation." Wang Dagou slammed his hoe into the ground and said anxiously.

Upon hearing this, Old Man Wang sighed deeply.

His son had always lived a good life in Liaodong since birth, and he had no idea what his generation had gone through.

What kind of officials had he met in his original village before coming to Liaodong? If they encountered you, they would be lucky if they didn't drag you out to fill in corvée labor or pay all sorts of exorbitant taxes.

A locust plague alone led to the deaths of his entire family of four, leaving him the sole survivor.

Although some of the village chiefs and officials were not very good at handling things, they were generally quite fair and would do their best to help solve any problems.

In Old Wang's eyes, it was already excellent.

"Without a country, where is the home? How long have we been enjoying these good days, and we've already forgotten our roots?"

“If it weren’t for His Majesty, your father would have starved to death long ago. Without His Majesty, where would we get the good life we ​​have now? We must learn to cherish it and be grateful.”

Hearing his father's words, Wang Dagou said in a deep voice, "Dad, you've been teaching us this way since we were little, and we understand the reasoning behind it."

"But we still have to live! We also have our own lives to live."

"Yu'er just gave birth to her second child, and Xiao Wan is only six months old. Moving them now would be like taking their lives!"

"Moreover, Dayuan is quite far from here. I heard that it takes almost a year just to get there. We have no idea how dangerous the journey will be."

"Besides, who knows what the situation will be like when we get there? I've heard there's been a lot of war in the west, so it might not be safe. What if we get assigned to some poor place? How will we survive then?"

"The emperor is far away, who knows how those officials will treat us?"

"Where in the world is there a better place than Liaodong!"

"Just because of a single word from the government, our whole family's lives are at stake. Why should we?"

"If you ask me, let's go with Li Lao Er and the others to petition and persuade the court to rescind its order. Anyway, the law doesn't punish the masses, so even if we don't leave, the court won't do anything to us."

The old locust tree cast a long, thin shadow in the setting sun. Old Wang's palm-leaf fan hovered in mid-air, its ribs tapping softly against the armrest of the rocking chair.

"If we don't go, will others be willing to go? If no one goes, what will happen to Dayuan? If those barbarians take it back, won't our Qi soldiers have sacrificed themselves in vain? And the people on the border will suffer too!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Dagou couldn't help but say, "Dad, all you know how to do is spout grand principles. Do you think you're some kind of saint? In our village, our family is the most destitute. You refuse all the benefits the government offers. What's wrong with you? Is that money too hot to handle?"

“We work hard farming and paying taxes to the court. Our third son is still serving as a soldier in the prefecture. We have done enough.”

"If you want to suffer for the court alone, I won't stop you, son, but you can't drag our family down with you!"

(End of this chapter)